Call It Peace
by memoire
Summary: In which, the Great War has ended and no one is happy. The entirety of Western Europe has turned into a wasteland, and yet the gods figured they can call it peace.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even my soul. I sold it a long time ago to the first fandom I ever joined.**

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 _"They plunder, they slaughter, and they steal: this they falsely name Empire, and where they make a wasteland, they call it peace."_

 _\- Tacitus_

Never before have the gods seen this much carnage in their entire lives. The death toll was larger than the wars that they have fought in the ancient days. Bodies littered the scorched earth and there was a putrid smell on the battle ground. Many lives were lost and destroyed here, and there aren't enough coffins to bury them. And so they lay there waiting until they are brought back home.

Two men were standing in the field: one wearing a black tailored suit and the other in a British navy uniform. They were the only living beings as far as the eye can see. The sun was an orange circle in the sky, which contrast sharply with the gloomy ground. A putrid smell hung in the air, but the men didn't mind. They have gotten used to the scent of decomposing bodies a long time ago.

"It's interesting how far humans would go to destroy one another," noted Zeus. He was dressed in a green uniform, slowly smoking a cigar while observing the ruined surroundings. "Look at all these bodies of young men. If they haven't fought in the war, they could've lived long, fulfilling lives. Don't you think so too, Poseidon?"

Poseidon frowned. "You shouldn't be smoking that brother. It's bad for your health."

Zeus dropped the cigar onto the ground and squashed the feeble ember out with his foot. "If you're mortal that is. I'm a god. Our kind live forever and whatever happens to us we'll always recover, _always_."

"There will be a time when we experience an event where we won't be able to recover, where we will carry the scars of that event for all of eternity," said Poseidon. "The Fates won't let us off easily. While the Great War did cause us great pain, I think there will be greater pain in the future. Look at how far these humans have gone with technology. No longer are we fighting with swords and bows, we are fighting with machine guns and bombs – weapons of mass destruction."

"If those countries manage to diplomatically settle things out then we won't have to worry about another conflict," rebuked Zeus. "We can go back to when the Napoleonic wars were over and Europe was at peace for nearly a hundred years."

"Only to erupt in war again," sighed Poseidon. "Europe has always been a centre of conflict ever since we existed. Wherever we go, death follows. I'm sure the world will be better off if we gods didn't exist."

"Don't be ridiculous Poseidon. We've done many good things besides ruin lives. We helped Britain become the empire it is now."

"Through imperialism and conquest of other nations that is. That's how empires are born. They are born through war, they are instruments of destruction."

Zeus waved his hand. "What does it matter? History is made upon the accomplishments and failures of men. Men have a natural desire to better themselves, to be better than their comrades. Even the gods have no control over human emotion - so we take sides and hope that our side wins."

"And what if there is no winner?"

"Then the conflict will continue until there is a winner, or when both sides get tired of fighting and make a peace treaty. The latter of which won't last very long."

Poseidon sighed and shook his head. "Sometimes I can't believe you brother. At least this war is over and maybe the humans will learn that fighting is not the answer to everything with the death toll being this high. Honestly, the 'Great War' was a war fought on no grounds. Mortals surrendered their lives to Death and for what?"

"Glory and honour for the country, probably. Nationalism is all the rage these days."

"Not helping."

Zeus gave him a lopsided grin. "I try."

Poseidon smiled, but just for an instant. He looked out into the distance. "The Treaty of Versailles has just been signed so peace may grace Europe for a couple decades. I doubt it, but maybe the Fates are feeling merciful. For now, we can call it peace and leave it at that."

"Even with the destruction laid out on for us?" Zeus gestured towards the surroundings. "No one is happy, not even the victors. We all know that this 'peace' is not going to last soon. If we're lucky, the levee wouldn't break until another decade – maybe two."

"Let's hope that there will be no part two of this Great War and that these soldiers did not die in vain for a better, more peaceful world. Let us leave this place, brother. We have more important matters to attend to."

The wind howled for an instant and then calmed down to a gentle breeze. The two gods were no longer on the field. All that was left was a lifeless silence and the smell of death and gunpowder.

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 **Short, I know, but I wrote this in an hour. I guess you can see this as a prelude to my other story, "All's Fair in Love and War." If you liked how this went, you can go read that if you want to.**

 **Happy Memorial Day everybody.**


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